“This invention is a product of Philippine ingenuity, I conceptualized it to start reducing the number of plastic wastes in our country. Lemen said the business started in 2001 when he saw the need to recycle plastics which led him to come up with a technology to help in recycling. Winchester Lemen and his company, Winder Recycling Co., with its plant in Sasa, processes around 90 tons of plastic trash and transforms them using Lemen’s invention – a thermal heating technology – into school chairs, benches, picnic tables and lounge chairs. Meantime, call it ingenuity of which Filipinos are known to have no shortage of, a mechanical engineer from Davao City has come up with ways to convert plastic rubbish into school chairs and other furniture.Īccording to Philippine Information Agency (PNA), Engr. Monessa, the “astig,” is still with USAF. In deserving recognition of her feat, the 16th House of Representatives, on May 24, 2016, adopted House Resolution 2709 honoring Catuncan. Monessa said she “also carries the Philippine flag in her heart, the pride of the country it represents and the people in it” whenever she flies. In 2014, she saw action in Iraq with the 34th Fighter Squadron as a USAF 2nd Lieutenant. Monessa is the youngest child of Ramon and Teody Catuncan and, on various media accounts, said she had wanted to be an astronaut, inspired by the1998 film, Armageddon, which starred Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Owne Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton, among others, and which was about a group of deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth.įollowing some ups and downs, Monessa eventually made it to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona where she started flying the F16, also known as the “viper.” ![]() The Cantuncans lived in Pasay City and Olongapo City before migrating to the US where they moved to Mesquite. Monessa CatuncanĬantuncan, 33, has a very interesting story – one about being driven to chase a dream like most Filipinos.įor one, she’s what the guys will call, “astig!” because she is both “Batang Pasay” and “Batang ‘Gapo.” Monessa Catuncan of the United States Air Force (USAF) – the first Filipina to fly the supersonic F-16 Fighting Falcon, described as one of the most advanced fighter jets in the USAF arsenal.īorn to Filipino immigrants, Catuncan graduated valedictorian from Mesquite High School in Texas and got her Aeronautical Engineering degree from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. He was awarded the 2007 Commander, Naval Air Forces Navy & Marine Association Outstanding Leadership Award for his tour as commanding officer of the Chargers, or the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14. Ravelo is a 1987 graduate of the University of Southern California, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.Īccording to United States Navy records, Ravelo’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal. “This has been the most challenging tour of my nearly 30-year career,” he added. “It truly saddens me that my tour is coming to an end,” Ravelo said during change-of-command ceremonies for the Lincoln. The younger Ravelo now works for a defense contractor, Scientific Research Corp, as senior program manager, another dream job by most Filipinos. His father, Ben Ravelo, was with the Philippine Navy and “left the Philippines to serve in a country whose language he did not even know,” said Rappler. Ravelo, son of a retired US Navy chief from the Philippines, was commanding officer till May 2017. Stars and Stripes, an independent military news portal published news about his promotion and so did the Manila-based Rappler, which described the historic event as a “first in the history of the United Stateds Navy.” ![]() ![]() Ravelo hails from San Diego, CA., and was commander of an amphibious warfare ship, the USS Comstock, when he took the helm of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Aug. Ravelo, who made headlines across the world for being the first American of Filipino descent to become commanding officer of not just a battleship but an aircraft carrier – indeed a post coveted by top rank Defense officials.
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